Rewind 12 months and the mood surrounding Derby County was one of desperation and despair.
The Rams were battling hard against the threat of relegation from the Championship, whilst the very future of the club was up in the air. The EFL had hit the East-Midlands outfit with an eye-watering 21 point deduction after they entered administration.
Takeover bids from the likes of Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, Erik Alonso and Chris Kirchner came and went with little success - the latter being installed by the club’s administrators Quantuma as a preferred bidder to complete a deal. That, however, fell through, leaving Derby staring at the very real prospect of going out of business.
